Magnetic trapping of rare-earth atoms at millikelvin temperatures.
Author(s) : HANCOX C. I., DORET S. C., HUMMON M. T., et al.
Type of article: Article
Summary
The ability to create quantum degenerate gases has led to the realization of Bose-Einstein condensation of molecules, atom-atom entanglement and the accurate measurement of the Casimir force in atom-surface interactions. With a few exceptions, the achievement of quantum degeneracy relies on evaporative cooling of magnetically trapped atoms to ultracold temperatures. Magnetic traps confine atoms whose electronic magnetic moments are aligned anti-parallel to the magnetic field. This alignment must be preserved during the collisional thermalization of the atomic cloud. Quantum degeneracy has been reached in spherically symmetric, S-state atoms (atoms with zero internal orbital angular momentum). However, collisional relaxation of the atomic magnetic moments of non-S-state atoms (non-spherical atoms with non-zero internal orbital angular momentum) is thought to proceed rapidly. In this article the authors demonstrate magnetic trapping of non-S-state rare-earth atoms, observing a suppression of the interaction anisotropy in collisions. The atoms behave effectively like S-state atoms because their unpaired electrons are shielded by two outer filled electronic shells that are spherically symmetric. Our results are promising for the creation of quantum degenerate gases with non-S-state atoms, and may facilitate the search for time variation of fundamental constants and the development of a quantum computer with highly magnetic atoms.
Details
- Original title: Magnetic trapping of rare-earth atoms at millikelvin temperatures.
- Record ID : 2005-0028
- Languages: English
- Source: Nature - vol. 431 - n. 7006
- Publication date: 2004/09/16
Links
See the source
Indexing
-
Themes:
Low-temperature physics;
Superconduction - Keywords: Superconduction; Cryotemperature; Bose-Einstein; Research; Magnetism; Condensation
-
Bose-Einstein condensation of quasi-equilibrium...
- Author(s) : DEMOKRITOV S. O., DEMIDOV V. E., DZYAPKO O., et al.
- Date : 2006/09/28
- Languages : English
- Source: Nature - vol. 443 - n. 7110
View record
-
Very cold indeed: the nanokelvin physics of Bos...
- Author(s) : CORNELL E.
- Date : 1996/07
- Languages : English
- Source: J. Res. NIST - vol. 101 - n. 4
View record
-
A superfluid is born.
- Author(s) : STOOF H. T. C.
- Date : 2007/05/24
- Languages : English
- Source: Nature - vol. 447 - n. 7143
View record
-
On the Bose-Einstein condensation of nonzero-mo...
- Author(s) : FUJITA S.
- Date : 1991/08
- Languages : English
- Source: J. Supercond. - vol. 4 - n. 4
View record
-
Emergence of a molecular Bose-Einstein condensa...
- Author(s) : GREINER M., REGAL C. A., JIN D. S.
- Date : 2003/12/04
- Languages : English
- Source: Nature - vol. 426 - n. 6966
View record